JJ Arey
April 7th, 2021
The absence of the annual March Madness tournament in the 2020 college basketball season was arguably one of the most disheartening moments of the year. The opportunity to make history and cement a legacy among their university was taken from hundreds of players, and many regarded the current 2021 season as one of the most anticipated seasons in a long time.
To little surprise, this past season did not disappoint. From the incredible run by the UCLA Bruins, to the half-court game winning shot by Gonzaga freshman Jalen Suggs, the 2021 season more than made up for what was missed last year. It is also
no secret that the March Madness tournament generates A
LOT of money and incentive for the NCAA to bring back,
and most other Division 1 collegiate sports follow a similar
bracket-style playoff. The only sport that does not follow
an extended playoff format is football. It is important to note however that the NCAA is currently seven years into a twelve year contract with the CFP, making it hard to enact immediate change to the current playoff format.
There is almost universal agreement on the idea of expansion, and notable names Ryan Day and Brian Kelly headline a long list of coaches who have shown outward support for the addition of
four more teams to the playoff. An eight team playoff would remain true to automatic bids for outright conference winners, and in theory, all Power 5 conferences would be represented. The final three spots would be filled with the remaining qualified teams- which in recent history has been favoring of many Group of 5 teams.
Looking back at all of the very good teams who have been left out from the playoff, many disgruntled fans have called for better competition among the top four teams that are represented. Among the most lopsided losses in recent playoff history, you can find a 38 point beatdown that the Alabama Crimson Tide handed out to the Michigan State Spartans in the 2015 Cotton Bowl. The Joe Burrow-led LSU Tigers beat an Oklahoma Sooners team by 35 points, accounting for 403 yards and seven touchdowns- IN THE FIRST HALF. The point is, expanding the college football playoff would allow for more one loss, and possibly even two loss teams, to get into the playoff and challenge the top-heavy field of competition.
Aside from an increased margin of error for
teams just outside the top four, a
multiple-round playoff system would allow
for the first round of games to be played at
the home stadiums of the higher seeds,
which incentives both regular season
performance and dedicated, football-loving
fans and students. If you could imagine a white-out playoff game at Penn State’s Beaver Stadium, or a game in front of 100,000 screaming, yellow-clad LSU fans in Death Valley, then
you could understand how the addition of an extra round can add a much-needed layer of excitement to the playoff.
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